Tuesday, May 19, 2015

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" - WilliamShakespeare

The character in Shakespeare's Henry VI who spoke these words was actually addressing the important role that lawyers can play in society.  We have certainly witnessed this during our visits.

We have visited a Magistrate's Court where we watched legal arguments presented to a bench of three lay judges.  Today, we explored the training of solicitors and barristers and ultimately judges in the English judicial system by visiting all four Inns of Court.  The Inns of Courts are the professional associations for barristers in England.


                  The gardens of Gray's Inn

We finished our examination of the English court system by visiting the Royal Courts of Justice where we sat in on criminal appeals, as well as visiting the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.


Supreme Court Courtroom One...we arrived just after adjournment for the day, so we took advantage of the empty chairs normally occupied by the justices.



Our legal guide, Solicitor JoAnn, discusses the tradition of English barristers wearing wigs.



We ended the tour as any good attorney would...in a pub!  Although I'm sure you'll be skeptical...we weren't there for pints of ale...just to admire the grand interior of the Old Bank of England Pub.

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